In the section Religion, we find out that Haring was raised in a traditional Christian setting. He looks at history, and colonization/religion. Haring states, “a lot of the evil in the world is done in the name of good (religion, false prophets, bullshit artists, politicians and businessmen”.

The works are divided up into additional areas, Mass Media, Racism, Ecocide, nuclear threat, apocalypse, and the last works, Sex, AIDS and Death.

One of the rooms has paintings done with fluorescent paints and displayed in a dark room with black lights. His message: equality. Remember black lights, psychedelic posters done for rock shows, or am I the only one who remembers?

There is a wall size photograph with a Sign: you are now leaving the American sector, with Russian, French and German translation, U.S. Army.

One of the most intriguing to me were 20 small drawings entitled Against All Odds with images that show spilled blood, semen, along with a number 82437625437. For me it has the feeling of a plague both out of the world, a globe, and out of a foot. “It” rains down a page, try to escape a pool of fluids represented by little red dots.

Although Haring was arrested in New York for doing a Graphic and Video, ‘Crack is Wack’ 20 years later, the neighborhood gained pride for this Keith Haring.

Do any of you remember ACT UP, to promote same sex awareness and safe sex. In a house, Haring painted the bathroom. It was entitled ‘Once Upon A Time’, the pre AIDS. There was a strong need to have direct connection to people to respond and accept it’s political and sexual messages. “…A combat never ends… “Grafitti is a crime… May God forgive us”.

Haring was born in the 50s and grew up in the 60s. He went to the School for Visual Arts. During that time, Crystos and Warhol were contemporaries of his.

So if you find yourself in Paris between now and August 18th, be sure to get to this important exhibit.

In the next Blog, we will venture down into a tomb behind Notre Dame Cathedral with it’s wonderful new bells and anniversary celebrations to go down to the Memorial to the Martyrs of the World War II Deportations also known as The Deportation Memorial. Join me next time and thank you for reading A Jewish Childhood Blog.